Maid Marian
Origin The love interest to Robin of Loxley Marian was an interesting character with a varied past and many versions of her tale, sometimes a sheltered noblewoman but originally a skilled fighter capable defeating her lover at the end of a long sword fight. She swore off marrying him until he had gained a King's pardon. Early Life Marian was born the daughter of nobility in some ballads but originally she had a more humble origin as a shepherdess. Sometimes she and Robin knew each other since childhood but other tales have them meet as adults. When she is portrayed as a noble Richard at the Lee is sometimes her father. Courted by an Outlaw At what point Marian and Robin met is variable but her oath to marry her love, instead of a man of her family's choosing, is on the condition that he first be pardoned. Her most well known act was joining the Merry Men in the forest after disguising herself as a male page and defeating Robin in a duel in during which he was unaware of her identity. In several stories where she is said to be of noble birth rather than a sword wielding shepherdess she remains in a castle spying discreetly on Robin's foes instead of joining him in the greenwood. Later Life Marian married Robin immediately following his pardon by the King just as she had promised to do while he was living as an outlaw and was widowed many years later when Robin was murdered by his cousin. She is not said to have left him when he left the king's service and returned to living like an outlaw in the woods. Adaptations The name of Robin's alternate wife Clorinda from the circa 1660s ballad Robin Hood's Birth, Breeding, Valor and Marriage, which takes many of its elements from outside the Robin hood tradition, is sometimes used by Marian as an alias. Appearances in Media 'Ballads:' *Robin Hood and Maid Marian *Robin Hood and Queen Katherine *Robin Hood's Golden Prize *Maid Marian Plays: * 1641 The Sad Shepherd, or A Tale of Robin Hood by Ben Jonson (incomplete, first published 4 years after author's death) 'Literature:' * 'Comics:' * Character Filmography Film: *1912 Robin Hood played by Barbara Tennant *1913 Robin Hood played by Gerda Holmes *1922 Robin Hood as Lady Marian Fitzwalter played by Enid Bennett *1938 The Adventures of Robin Hood played by Olivia de Havilland *1948 The Prince of Thieves as Lady Marian Claire played by Patricia Morison *1950 Rogues of Sherwood Forest played by Diana Lynn *1952 The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men played by Joan Rice *1960 Sword of Sherwood Forest as Maid Marian Fitzwalter played by Sarah Branch *1969 Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood as Lady Marian Fitzwalter played by Ciaran Madden *1973 Robin Hood voiced by Monica Evans and Nancy Adams *1976 Robin and Marian played by Audrey Hepburn *1991 Robin Hood played by Uma Thurman *1991 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves as Marian Dubois played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio *1993 Robin Hood: Men in Tights played by Amy Yasbeck *2010 Robin Hood played by Cate Blanchett *2018 Robin Hood played by Eve Hewson Television: *The Adventures of Robin Hood (1956) 143 episodes played by *Robin of Sherwood (1984 - 1986) 26 episodes played by Judi Trott *''Robin Hood'' (2006–2009) played by Lucy Griffiths Gallery Marian.jpg|Maid Marian by Louis Rhead Robin Hood and the Lady.jpg|Robin Hood and the Lady, by Walter Crane the-adventures-of-robin-hood-1938-20.jpg|Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) olivia_marian1.jpg|Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) OliviadeHavillandMarian.png|Olivia de Havilland as Marian and Errol Flynn as Robin Hood in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) Olivia&Flynn.jpg|Olivia de Havilland as Marian and Errol Flynn as Robin Hood in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) OliviadeHaviland.jpg|Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) OliviaMarian2.png|Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) The-Adventures-of-Robin-Hood-Marian.jpg|Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) olivia_marian4.jpg|Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) OliviaMarianHairDown.jpg|Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) olivia-de-havilland-and-una-o-connor-in-the-adventures-of-robin-hood-1938-large-picture.jpg|Olivia de Havilland and Una O'Connor in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) OliviaMarianSpyingforRobin.jpg|Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) olivia_marian_pubstill_bw.jpg|Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in publicity still for The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) RoguesofSherwoodForest.jpg|Paul Cavanagh, Lowell Gilmore, Diana Lynn, and George Macready in Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950) JoanRiceMaidMarian.png|Joan Rice as Maid Marian in Disney's The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men 1952. JoanRiceMarianUnusedPaige.jpg|Joan Rice as Maid Marian disguised as a page in The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men 1952. RobinofSherwoodPoster.jpg|Jason Connery, Anthony Valentine, John Abineri, Robert Addie, Nickolas Grace, Rula Lenska, Clive Mantle, Michael Praed, Phil Rose, Mark Ryan, Judi Trott, Peter Llewellyn Williams, and Ray Winstone in Robin of Sherwood (1984) RobinofSherwood.jpg|Clive Mantle, Michael Praed, Phil Rose, Mark Ryan, Judi Trott, Peter Llewellyn Williams, and Ray Winstone in Robin of Sherwood (1984) UmaThurmanRobinHood1991.jpg|Uma Thurman as Marian and Patrick Bergin as Robin Hood in Robin Hood (1991) robin-hood-1991.png|Uma Thurman as Marian and Patrick Bergin as Robin Hood in Robin Hood (1991) MaryElizabethAlanRickman.jpg|Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Alan Rickman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) RobinHoodPrinceofThieves.jpg|Kevin Costner, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Nick Brimble, and Daniel Newman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) AmyYasbeck.jpg|Amy Yasbeck as Marian in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) DisneyMarian.jpg|Marian from Disney's Robin Hood External links *Wikipedia *ComicVine *Robin Hood Wiki *Disney Wiki *IMDB *Fables Wikia *Public Domain Heroes Wiki Category:Outlaws Category:Shepherds Category:Female Characters Category:Medieval Characters Category:Merry Men Category:Characters Category:Characters from the Ballads Category:Characters in the Public Domain Category:Archers